Pneumatic apparatus for feeding two ends to a knotter



T. HAURI March 28, 1967 PNEUMATIC APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TWO ENDS TO A KNOTTER Filed Sept. 17, 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 1 March 28, 1967 T. HAURI 3,311,312

PNEUMATIC APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TWO ENDS TO A KNOTTER Filed Sept. 17, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 28, 1967 T. HAURI 3,311,312

PNEUMATIC APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TWO ENDS TO A KNOTTER Filed Sept. 17, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,311,312 PNEUMATIC APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TWO ENDS T0 A KNOTTER Tobias Haul-i, Arth, Schwyz, Switzerland, assignor to Aktiengeselischaft Fr. Mettlers Sohne, Maschinenfabrik, Arth. Schwyz, Switzerland Filed Sept. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 397,234 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. 17, 1963, 11,435/ 63 6 Claims. (Cl. 24235.6)

The invention relates to a pneumatic apparatus for feeding two thread ends to a knotter and comprising a tube structure connected to a fan and which is provided with slits from which thread ends sucked up by the fan can enter notches provided in the knotter.

In a known apparatus of this kind, the tube structure, which is in one piece, has a limb in which a threaded led from an unwinding or feed element to a winding or take-up element is located during normal winding operation, a second limb connected to a fan and further limbs provided with the slits and interconnecting the two firstmeutioned limbs. This apparatus has the drawback that it is not sufiiciently reliable in operation. When there is a break in the thread and the two thread ends produced in this way are to be joined together by means of the knotter, it may happen, according to the location of the break and other fortuitous circumstances, that the thread ends do not enter the knotter correctly, so that in that case either a knot is not formed at all or knots which are formed are broken again.

The object of the present invention is to ensure absolutely reliable feeding of the thread ends to the knotter.

The apparatus according to the invention is distinguished in that the tube structure consists of two separate tubes which are each connected to the fan at one end and to each of which one of the two thread ends is allotted, so that each thread end is sucked up by the fan only in the tube allotted to it and can pass through a longitudinal slit provided in this tube into a notch allotted to it in the knotter.

An example of embodiment of the object of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, with a part broken away, of a pneumatic feed apparatus during normal operation;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 11-11 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus after a break has occurred in the thread, one end of the thread being already inserted in the knotter;

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line IVIV of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus after both thread ends have been fed to the knotter, and

FIGURE 6 shows a top view of the thread clearer in closed position with both magnets inoperative.

The apparatus illustrated has two separate tubes 1 and 2 which are each connected at one end side by side to a fan 3 equipped with a filter. Starting from the fan 3, the tube 1 comprises in succession a short, vertical connecting portion 1a, a limb 1b inclined at an angle of about 45 to the horizontal, an elbow 1c of about 315, a horizontal limb 1d and a Vertical limb 1e. Similarly, the tube 2 comprises a connecting portion 2a, a limb 2b alongside the limb 1b, a vertical limb 2c, a limb 2d inclined downwardly at an angle of about 20 at some distance from the limb 1d and a short, vertical downwardly tapering limb 2e, the ideal axis of which is located in the extension of the ideal axis of the limb 1e and which is provided at the bottom with a split nozzle 2f. During normal operation, a thread 4 lies along the com- 3,31 L312 Patented Mar. 28, 1967 mon ideal axis of the limbs 1e and 2e, the thread being unwound from a cop 5 located centrally above the limb 1e and wound onto a bobbin 6 located below the limb 2e and somewhat off-set with respect thereto. The thread 4 leaves the tube 1 at 7, enters the tube 2 at 8 and runs through a thread clearer 9 between the two points 7 and 8.

As will be seen from FIGURE 4, the two limbs 1d and 2d, when seen in plan view, diverge from the point of projection 10 of the axes of the limbs 12 and 22, for which reason the limbs 1 and 2b, it is true, appear to be parallel in elevation, but in reality or somewhat askew with respect to one another.

The tube 1 has a longitudinal slit 11 which extends from a point 12 disposed on the underside of the limb 112 along the said limb 1b and downwards along the inside of the elbow 1c and along the upper side of the limb 1d opening at 14 into a transverse slit 15 which leads to the point 7. The tube 2 has a longitudinal slit 16 which extends from a point 17 located on the underside of the limb 2b along the said limb 2b, the limb 2c and the upper side of the limb 2d as far as the point 8.

On the inside of the elbow 10 there is arranged a knotter 18 having two notches 18a and 18b intended for receiving the two thread ends 4a and 4b which are intended to be knotted together in the event of a break occurring in the thread 4, or when the cop 5 becomes empty and is changed. The knotter 13 is of a conventional type available on the market and is therefore not described in detail.

The upper end of the limb 1e is surrounded by a ver tically displaceable cylindrical sleeve 19 which, during normal operation, is located in a lower position in which it does not surround the lower end of the cop 5. A stop motion 20 of conventional type is merely indicated in FIGURE 1 by a guide eye testing the tension of the thread 4. The thread clearer 9 is provided with a cutting mechanism 21 which, like the fan 3, the winding bobbin 6 and the sleeve 19, is controlled from the stop motion 20. Furthermore, the thread clearer 9 is also provided with a flap 22; the etfect of this is that when the thread 4 has been led in the direction of an arrow 23 into a lateral gap 24 presented by its base, it' cannot issue from this gap again.

The eyelet 20 of the stop motion or thread catch 20 is at the end of an angular lever 32, pivotally supported at 31, which supports a counter weight 33 at its other end, and which cooperates with a switch 34 to open and close a circuit 35. When the thread 4 breaks, as indicated in FIG. 3, switch 34 is actuated, thereby closing, by way of a relay (not shown), the circuit 36 of motor 37 which drives the ventilator 3. The screen 38 intercepts thread ends 39 that may be removed by opening a flap 40.

Operation of the switch 34 also closes the circuit 41 of motor 42 which drives a pinion 43 that is in engagement with a toother rack 44 secured to the sleeve 19 which is moved upwardly as shown in FIG. 3 when the thread breaks.

The flap 22 of the thread clearer 9 is shown in FIG. 1 in the position where the thread is prevented from sliding out of the lateral opening or slot 24. FIGS. 3 and 5 show the electromagnetically operated flap in the open position where it permits the knotted thread to enter the slot 24. The flap 22 is supported at the pivot 22' indicated in FIG. 1 at the right.

The cutting mechanism of the thread clearer 9 has a magnetically actuated cutter 21 which beats against an anvil 21" as the circuit 45 is excited under control of the circuit 35 when the thread is broken. Simultaneously also the flap 22 is opened electromagnetically.

The winding coil or bobbin 6 is driven by gears 49, 50 by motor 48 supplied with current by a circuit 47 under the control of the circuit 35 of the stop motion 20 which stops the motor 48 when the thread is broken. At the same time the circuit 51 of motor 52 is actuated which by way of a friction coupling 53, a gear 54 and a toothed gear sector 55 pivotally moves a double lever 56 about its stationary axis 57 against the force of a spring 58 into the position shown in FIG. 5. At the free upper end of the double lever 56 a shaft 60 is journalled which carries the bobbin 6 and the gear 50. Bobbin 6 remains in the position in accordance with FIG. below the nozzle 2 until the stop motion or thread catch 20, after tying of the thread, returns to the position shown in FIG. 1 under the effect of spring 58, when motor 48 is again actuated and the winding of the bobbin 6 continues.

The apparatus operates in the following manner:

Due to the response of the stop motion 20 to a break in the thread, the fan 3 is put into operation. In addition, the sleeve 19 is displaced upwardly and the winding bobbin 6 is shifted to the right and finally the cutting mechanism 21 of the thread clearer cuts through the thread 4, so that-according to the place where the break occurstoo long a thread end is not left, since such a thread end would not properly follow the suction effect of the fan 3 in the tubes 1 and 2 which is indicated by the arrows 2S and 26.

The end 4a of the thread on the cop 5 is sucked up in the tube 1 into the vicinity of the fan 3 and in fact the said thread end is seized at the top by the stream of air (see FIGURE 3) owing to the displacement of the sleeve 19 even when the break has occurred in the thread immediately below the cop 5, or when a break in the thread is not actually involved, but the emptying of a cop which is replaced by another. As will be seen from FIGURE 3, the end 4a of the thread then emerges from the longitudinal slit 11 in the tube 1 and in this way passes into the notch 18a of the knotter 18. Similarly, the thread end 4b is drawn into the tube 2 through the split nozzle 2 even when the break in the thread has occurred between the said tube and the winding bobbin 6. The thread end 4b thereupon emerges from the longitudinal slit 16 and passes into the notch 18b of the knotter 18. The knotter 18 now knots the two thread ends together in known manner, the free pieces of thread projecting beyond the knot being cut off and sucked away. The thread 4 produced by the knotting operation is now stretched owing to the pull of the winding bobbin 6, so that it comes into the operative position shown in FIG- URE 1, through the transverse slit 15 in the tube 1, the left-hand end of the longitudinal slit 16 in the tube 2 and the gap 4 in the thread clearer 9. The winding bobbin 6 and the sleeve 19 thereupon likewise return to the operative position shown in FIGURE 1 and the fan 3 is turned 011.

In comparison with known pneumatic feed devices, the apparatus described has the important advantage that the thread ends 4a and 41; will not enter the notches 18a and 18b in an interchanged state (that is 4a in 18b and 4b in 18a), which, it is true, produces a knotting effect, but has the result that the knot breaks when the thread 4 is stretched. It is also most unlikely that both thread ends will pass into the same notch or that a thread end will not be fed to the knotter at all.

It is emphasized that the cross-sectional shape of the tubes 1 and 2 is of secondary importance; instead of the tubes of circular cross-section which are shown, tubes of oval or polygonal cross-section could also be used. Furthermore, the tubes could also be conical to a greater or lesser extent, instead of cylindrical as in the embodiment shown. The terms vertical, horizontal and the like are used only for the sake of simplicity; it is clear, however, that in principle the apparatus could also operate in a position other than the conventional one illustrated.

I claim:

1. Pneumatic apparatus for feeding two thread ends to a knotter, comprising a fan, a tube structure comprising a pair of tubes, each having a first end connected to said fan and each associated with one of two thread ends, said first ends having portions disposed adjacent each other, each of said tubes having another end disposed along a common ideal axis which constitutes the axis along which the thread is normally fed, a knotter disposed proximate said first ends and presenting at least two notches, each of said tubes having a longitudinal slit extending along one side thereof each proximate a different one of said notches in a manner that each thread end when drawn in by the air of said fan is guided in the slit in the tube with which it is associated to its respective notch.

2. Pneumatic apparatus in accordance with claim 1, where said other end of a first of said tubes receives one end of the thread as it is fed from a source such as a cop, and a winding element such as a reel is disposed proximate said other end of the second of said tubes from which other end the thread is fed to said winding reel, where a transverse slit is provided intermediate the other end and the longitudinal slit in the one end of said first tube, and a thread clearer is disposed intermediate said transverse slit and the other end of said second tube.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, where a stop motion device is provided along the path of the thread beyond the end of said second tube, where said thread clearer is provided with a cutting mechanism and said stop motion device controls said cutting mechanism.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, where said first ends of said first and second tubes have portions in which said slits continue and which are inclined with respect to one another both in vertical and in horizontal projection.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 where a gap and a flap are provided on said thread clearer, said flap preventing a thread introduced through said gap from leaving the clearer through said gap.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, where a sleeve is provided around that end of said first tube where said thread is fed from the cop and is movable toward said feeding source and a split nozzle is provided at the other end of said second tube, and said winding element is movable relative to said split nozzle, and where said stop motion controls the movement of said sleeve and of said winding element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,971 4/1954 Abbott 242-35.6 2,769,599 11/1956 Furst 24235.6 3,131,879 5/1964 Glastra et al 24235.6 3,224,694 12/ 1965 Oishi 24235.5

FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, W. S. BURDEN,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. PNEUMATIC APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TWO THREAD ENDS TO A KNOTTER, COMPRISING A FAN, A TUBE STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PAIR OF TUBES, EACH HAVING A FIRST END CONNECTED TO SAID FAN AND EACH ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF TWO THREAD ENDS, SAID FIRST ENDS HAVING PORTIONS DISPOSED ADJACENT EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID TUBES HAVING ANOTHER END DISPOSED ALONG A COMMON IDEAL AXIS WHICH CONSTITUTES THE AXIS ALONG WHICH THE THREAD IS NORMALLY FED, A KNOTTER DISPOSED PROXIMATE SAID FIRST ENDS AND PRESENTING AT LEAST TWO NOTCHES, EACH OF SAID TUBES HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLIT EXTENDING ALONG ONE SIDE THEREOF EACH PROXIMATE A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID NOTCHES IN A MANNER THAT EACH THREAD END WHEN DRAWN IN BY THE AIR OF SAID FAN IS GUIDED IN THE SLIT IN THE TUBE WITH WHICH IT IS ASSOCIATED TO ITS RESPECTIVE NOTCH. 